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Monthly Archives: April 2017

Underground Storage Tank (UST) owners may be confused by the Illinois EPA’s (IEPA’s) website, which hasn’t been updated with current information regarding the UST Fund deductible.

In June 2010, IEPA lowered the deductible for all new eligible Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Incidents to $5,000. Prior to that change, deductibles range from $10,000 to $100,000 depending on the number of tanks and date of registration.

$5,000 Deductible Applies to All Incidents
Declared After June 8, 2010

The confusion about eligibility and high deductibles for some sites deterred many tank owners from cleaning up their LUST Incident and obtaining a No Further Remediation (NFR) letter from IEPA. As a result, Illinois streamlined their deductible qualifications and reduced it to a more manageable $5,000.This change states that no matter what date an eligible petroleum tank was registered, any LUST Incidents declared after June 8, 2010 are subject to a $5,000 deductible.

Used oil that has been refined from crude oil used in a motor vehicle, as defined in Section 1.3 of the Motor Fuel Tax Law.

Other eligibility requirements do apply, as outlined on the EPA’s Tank Fund Guide website. For example, any tanks out of service prior to January 1, 1974 or residential heating oil tanks are not eligible for the Fund.

The UST Fund is available to help owners and operators clean up spills related to leaking tanks. It is funded by these same owner/operators as a per-gallon tax on all petroleum products purchased.

For more information about how to close a LUST Incident and access the UST Fund, contact Nancy Valenta at 773-486-2123 or nvalenta[at]gabenv.com.

As part of their ‘Infrastructure Week,’ Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) is opening up six of its water reclamation plants (WRP) for free open houses and tours on May 20, 2017.

Visitors can tour any of the following plants:

Calumet WRP, 400 E. 130th St., Chicago

Egan WRP, 550 S. Meacham Rd., Schaumburg

Hanover Park WRP, 1220 Sycamore Av., Hanover Park

Kirie WRP, 701 Oakton St., Des Plaines

O’Brien WRP, 3500 Howard St., Skokie

Stickney WRP, 6001 W. Pershing Rd., Cicero

MWRD will also be giving away free trees and compost, while supplies last. All ages welcome. No open-toed shoes.